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THE BARBICAN IN LONDON
We were guided by our friend James through the region of The Barbican which is a location we knew nothing about. We had assumed it was a part of London like any other Borough, but no such thing.
The City of London Corporation has created an excellent website which goes into the history of the site and it's storyline through time. It can be found off this link by clicking
HERE
We were delighted to have unearthed this historical treasure trove but for these purposes I merely give you some background facts.
The Barbican was previously called Cripplegate and it suffered badly during the second world war and the resident population fell to 48. Construction for the Barbican Estate started in 1965 and took 11 years to complete.
Today, the 40-acre Estate is home to more than 4,000 residents, living in over 2,014 flats. Also part of the complex are the Barbican Centre, the Guildhall School of Music & Drama (GSMD), the City of London School for Girls and the Barbican library.
As the following photos show, the development design incorporates part of the London City wall, water features and high walkways around the site. One such original building is the church of St. Giles' Cripplegate which remarkably still stands next to the ancient city wall.
The architecture is harsh and mostly constructed in concrete but many of the residential units have flower and shrub displays to create more softness
The high level walkways pass the entrances to blocks of flats and apartments and all are named after a well known person from history associated with the district. The website refers to John Bunyan, William Shakespeare and Oliver Cromwell to name just three.
The next photo shows the beautiful ancient church of St Giles in amongst the tower blocks.
Next we have Sheila posing with - no not with Gilbert Bridge - but James Dixon our friend from London.
There are staircases and leisure areas and there is a busy vibe.
In the meantime, Sheila met up with two old schoolfriends!
We finish this look at The Barbican with entry to the Church of St Giles.
The church has a great history of its own. Read the fascinating history
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HERE
There has been a house of prayer on the site since 1101, when Queen Matilda, wife of Henry I, founded a leper hospital here. At this time, St Giles stood outside the city of London with the lepers isolated from the population as a whole; the chapel probably became the church of a small village, which serviced the hospital.
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The Churchyard of St Giles was for many centuries synonymous with capital punishment in London.
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During the fifteenth century, the gallows were removed from Smithfield in the city of London to the north-west corner of St Giles Churchyard, where Hog Lane (now Flitcroft Street) met St Giles High Street. At the Churchyard gate condemned criminals on their way to execution were offered a bowl of ale, the ‘St Giles’s Bowl’, as their last refreshment in this life. Anthony Babington and thirteen co-conspirators were the last people to be hanged and disembowelled here on 20 and 21 September 1586 for plotting to assassinate Elizabeth I and make Mary, Queen of Scots Queen.
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The church tomb stones are incorporated in the hard landscaping outside.
and.. just behind the church is a water feature complete with a section of the city wall
The inside of the church is well used and beautifully light and airy. There are two organs and both are in good working order. We had the pleasure of listening to a practice organ recital all to ourselves with the exquisite sounds emanating from the massive pipes and the lady organist playing the instrument up here.
The organist was up Here
That was all lovely, but how the devil do we get out of here???
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